Carnation Flower Meaning & Symbolism: What Each Color Means

Carnation flowers are beautiful, round-shaped flowers; the petals have a ruffled and layered texture. This flower is mainly found in Europe and Asia, and there is no evidence of where the word carnation came from. However, the botanical name of this flower is Dianthus caryophyllus, which means divine flower or flower of god in Greek. 

Here, I have discussed the meaning of the carnation flower and the meaning of different colors. Also, the symbolism of the flower based on occasion, cultural and historical significance, which carnation color should be used when gifting on which occasion, and some tips to care for the flowers. 

Quick Answer 

In general, carnation flowers mean love, fascination, and distinction. However, the meaning changes based on the colors and culture. Like red symbolizes love, pink gratitude, orange enthusiasm, purple creativity, white innocence, yellow rejection, and striped flowers indicate regret. 

What Is The Carnation Flower Meaning? 

Carnation flowers symbolise love, fascination, and distinction. This flower can be connected to different meanings like love, remembrance, grief, honor, gratitude, appreciation, deep affection, and admiration. 

The meaning of the carnation flower is usually connected with love. It is used to express both romantic love and platonic affection. It is also used to express love for parents, especially mothers. This flower is also used to show gratitude and say thank you to your loved one or someone you admire. 

According to the stories, the word carnation comes from a Latin word, carnis, which means flesh, because this flower was very pretty and its pink color. Some say this comes from the Greek word coronation, carnation is used in the crown ceremonies of Greek times.  

This flower looks like a rose due to the texture, but carnation is a cheaper option. These flowers are used as gifts on occasions like Mother’s Day in the United States and Parents’ Day in Korea, this can also be used in wedding decorations. It has different meanings across cultures, and each color has some different significance. 

Carnation Flower Meaning By Color

Red carnations represent love and affection; pink carnations represent maternal love and gratitude; yellow carnations are connected with rejection and affection; purple carnations are connected with individuality and creativity; orange carnations present enthusiasm; white carnations represent purity, innocence, and luck; and striped carnation flowers are often connected with regret. There are also some dyed categories that don’t have any historical or cultural significance, like green or rainbow carnations.

The following table provides a quick overview of the common meanings associated with each carnation color and the occasions they are often linked with:

Learn more about the cultural significance and meaning of different carnation flowers. 

1. Red Carnation Means Love 

Red carnation flower meaning love, admiration, and affection. You can gift this flower to your partner, your mentor, or anyone you admire. This color is often connected with romantic love.

Meaning: 

• Light red flowers indicate affection
• Dark red flowers show desire and deep love. 
• Admiring your loved one or mentor. 

Gifting Purpose: 

• Best gift for Valentine’s Day. 
• Add these with different flowers to enhance the meaning of the bouquet. 
• Also gifted to a mentor or close ones to show respect. 

2. Pink Carnation Means Gratitude

Pink carnation flowers mean gratitude and maternal love. This flower also represents the line I’ll never forget you, so you can also give it to someone you want to say I miss you. 

Meaning: 

• These flowers are connected with Mother’s Day and represent family. 
• It will represent your unconditional, undying love and care for your mother. 

Gifting purpose: 

• Gift for Mother’s Day or Parents’ Day. 
• It can also be a perfect gift for expressing thank you, recognising a kind gesture, and celebrating personal connection. 

3. Yellow Carnation Means Disappointment 

Yellow carnation flowers are connected with disappointment and rejection. However, in modern times, people have dropped the old meaning and started using this flower in their arrangements; it adds energy to the bouquet. 

Meaning: 

• As per the old meaning, this flower represents rejection and disappointment. 
• In modern times, it represents friendship and heartwarming connections.

Gifted purpose: 

• This flower has now been gifted by people for joy, new beginnings, and friendship. 
• You can give these flowers to someone you want to apologize to. 

4. Purple Carnation Means Creativity 

Purple is a very unique color; it represents unpredictability, creativity, and individuality. This flower stands out; that’s why you can give it to someone who has a whimsical and playful personality. 

Meaning: 

• Unpredictability, creativity, and individuality. 
• It also means whimsical and playful. 

Gifting purpose: 

• It can be the best gift for someone’s birthday who is a creative professional and is self-expressive.
• This flower can also be added in a bouquet to add depth and uniqueness. 

5. White Carnation Means Purity

White carnation flowers represent purity, innocence, and good luck. It is also used in wedding decorations. In Korean culture, white flowers signify that both parents have left the world.  

Meaning:

• It represents purity, innocence and good luck. 
• This also represents grief and sympathy.
• The white color is also used to express honour, eternal love, and respect. 

Gifting purpose: 

• This can be the best gift for newly engaged, graduated, or anyone starting a new life. 
• You can take this to funerals to show your sympathy or to show respect and love towards the person. 

6. Orange Carnation Means Enthusiasm

Orange carnation represents enthusiasm and fascination. Orange is a bold color; you can pair it with different colors and give it a new meaning. 

Meaning: 

• It shows enthusiasm and fascination. 
• This also represents bright and energetic. 

Gifting purpose: 

• This can be gifted to someone whom you admire or to show your support, motivation, and positivity.
• You can give it to someone who you feel fascinated with. 

7. Striped Carnation Means Regret 

Striped flowers symbolise regret and refusal. In modern times, people use it more for visual impressions than its traditional meaning. So if you want to stick with the traditional plant meaning, then use these flowers thoughtfully. 

Meaning:

• It represents regret and refusal. 
• This can be served as a tribute to someone who left a strong impression on you.

Gifting purpose: 

• It is used to show regret to someone. 
• In modern days, it is used to add texture and variation in bouquets. 

8. Dyed Carnation Flowers 

Green and blue carnation flowers are dyed, and they don’t have any cultural meaning.

Meaning: 

• Blue carnations symbolise mystery. 
• Green carnation flowers symbolize health, luck, creativity, and a touch of the unconventional. 

Gifting purpose: 

• They can be given to your loved ones suffering from health. 
• Blue carnations can be gifted to someone who has a unique and mysterious personality. 

Carnation Flower Symbolism Across Different Occasions

These flowers can be gifted on the occasion of Mother’s Day, on weddings or anniversaries, at funerals or to show empathy, and lastly to say sorry, thank you, or show gratitude; choosing the correct color based on the occasion is very important. 

Let’s take a look at the different symbolism of these flowers on different occasions. 

Mother’s Day 

The carnation flower has a special historical significance with Mother’s Day. This flower was gifted to 500 mothers on the occasion of the first Mother’s Day celebration. This flower represents maternal love and gratitude, especially the pink carnation. You can also make a special multicolor bouquet that is mixed with different colors of carnation flowers, which will show your gratitude, mother’s love, purity, and other emotions. 

Wedding and Anniversary 

This flower is used in wedding and anniversary decorations, especially the white-colored flowers that show faithful love and good luck. Carnation flowers like red and pink can be used to express your deep love to someone. If you want to add some unique colors, then you can add colors like purple to express your fascination towards them or white to show your admiration. Carnation is also the January birthday flower, so if your loved one is born in January, then this will be the best gift for them. 

Funeral and Sympathy 

Carnation flowers also mean remembrance and grief. This flower can also be used at a funeral for grief or to show your sympathy to someone. This flower has multiple meanings, and one is remembrance. You can use white carnations to show sympathy or to show honour to them. You can also use red carnations to show admiration towards your mentor or your loved one. 

Gratitude or Apology 

This flower is best to give someone you admire, or you want to apologise to. To show someone gratitude and your eternal love, go for pink carnations; if you want to show deep love and gratitude, then you can go for red carnations. To show regret, you can choose striped flowers; yellow is also used to show disappointment and rejection. 

Interesting fact

In the Victorian era, people used this flower to send secret messages. People used to reply to coded messages with carnation flowers. A solid-color flower would mean yes, and a yellow carnation would be considered no. 

History and Cultural Significance of Carnations

Carnation flower meaning and symbolism vary across cultures. In Korea, carnations are associated with respect and gratitude toward parents, while in the United States, they have a strong connection with maternal love and Mother’s Day. In Spain, carnations are associated with passion and festivals, while in Portugal, they represent revolution. In France, they are traditionally associated with funerals and grief, and in the Netherlands, carnations have been worn as a tribute to veterans on Memorial Day.

Let’s look at the historical and cultural significance of carnations in different countries.

Carnations in Korean Culture

In Korean culture, carnations are associated with respect and gratitude toward parents. People often give carnations to their parents on Parents’ Day, which is celebrated on May 8 every year.

According to the government portal description, a red flower is given when both parents are living, pink when one parent is living, and white when both parents have passed away.

Carnations in the United States

In the United States, carnations are strongly associated with maternal love and Mother’s Day. The pink carnation is particularly connected with Mother’s Day and is often associated with maternal love.

According to the historical account of Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis helped establish the modern celebration in honor of her mother. During the first official Mother’s Day celebration in 1908, she distributed 500 carnations to attendees at the church where her mother had taught. This helped establish the carnation as a symbol associated with Mother’s Day.

You can also learn more about Mother’s Day carnations.

Carnations in Spain

In Spain, carnations have traditionally been associated with passion and are commonly seen at festivals. The carnation is also recognized as Spain’s national flower.

In Spanish, the carnation is called clavel. The name is associated with the word for clove, referring to the flower’s spicy fragrance.

Carnations in France

In France, carnations are associated with grief and are traditionally given at funerals or after the loss of someone. They can symbolize sympathy, remembrance, honor, and admiration for the person who has passed away.

Carnations in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, carnations have been worn and presented on Memorial Day as a tribute to veterans, representing admiration and respect for their service. This tradition is associated with Prince Bernhard and dates back to the Second World War.

Interesting fact 

The carnation flower is the national flower of 3 countries that are Spain, Monaco, and Slovenia. This flower is found all over Monaco and Slovenia, and it has a great impact on ancient artwork. In Spain, this flower grows widely in the south part of the country and is used in the hair of flamenco dancers. 

Which Carnation Color Should You Gift? 

Pink is best for mothers; red is the best option for a partner, yellow for friends and others, and lastly, when attending a funeral, white can be the best choice. Each color has its own significance, and based on that, decide which flower you should give to whom. 

Let’s talk about the significance of each flower and whom to give it to. 

How To Care For Carnation Flowers?

Carnation flowers are easy to care for; whether they are in a garden or a vase, they can stay fresh for 7 to 14 days in a vase with simple care. For cutting carnations, start by preparing the plant, then keep them in clean water, add flower food, change the water regularly, and keep them away from sunlight. 

Let’s take a look at each step to care for the plant in detail. 

Cut the Stems: First, take the flowers and remove all the leaves. If the leaves are submerged in water, they can rot and affect the water. Next, clean the stems properly and then make a 45-degree angle at the bottom of the stem; this will help the water soak in properly. 

Add Flower Food: Now take water in a clean vase and add flower food to it. Now stir, then add these flowers to it. The flower food will provide energy to the plant, keep the water clean, and also protect it from infection. 

Change Water Timely: Check the plant regularly; change the water every 2 to 3 days. If your water is looking dirty, change it, or it can cause infection. Prune the stem a little once a week whenever changing the water or if you feel the stems are a little squishy. I always add flower food whenever I change the water.  

Keep Away From Sunlight: Sunlight can make the flowers dry, and they will die quickly. That’s why the plant is not getting sunlight from a direct or indirect source of sunlight. Also avoid keeping it near stoves or heaters; they will soak up all the moisture and decrease the vase life. 

Conclusion 

The carnation flower’s meaning is love, fascination, and distinction. This flower is found in red, pink, yellow, purple, white, and orange colors. It is also found in striped textures and dyed colors like green and blue. In different cultures, this flower has different significance. People use this as a gifting option in weddings, anniversaries, and funerals. It can also be gifted to express love, gratitude, and apology.  

You must keep the flower in a clean vase with water and flower food in it. Cut the stem bottom at a 45-degree angle, make sure the stems are clean, and keep changing the water. This way, the flowers will stay fresh for 2 weeks or more. 

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